10168/Is This A Good Time To Stop By

Is This A Good Time To Stop By
Date of Scene:	23 November 2019
Location:	House of Mystery, Avalon Heights
Synopsis:	Constantine visits an old friend and runs into a working Vanessa. They find out they have a vampire in common.
Cast of Characters:	Copycat, Constantine

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Copycat has posed:
Michael is someone that Constantine has known for awhile. He's not really directly involved in Constantine's line of work, but he's aware of it. Which makes him a unique person that can be talked to without really having to worry about markers or favors or how their relationship currently stands. Just a bloke who likes to share a drink now and then and hear about Constantine's unusual life.

But it's been a little while since they talked. And fortune happens to have Constantine in the area on a Saturday night. He has a little house, three bedrooms with two of them used for storage and a room for his computer. He's a mechanic by trade actually, but makes a fair living. Below average income, but he seems happy with his life. And tonight, it looks like his lights are on.

Constantine has posed:
Constantine has a rather odd life, to say the least. To some it sounds fantastical, but to John, it's just run of the mill... truth be told, someone has to get up pretty early to get John Constantine excited about anything.. even a random meet up with an old friend.

Knocking on Michael's door with a snapping of knuckles against the wood frame, John clutches a cigarette away from his mouth with a coughing breath blown up into the sky sending grey smoke bellowing towards the clouds. "Michael, ya cunt! I know you're in there lad, open the bloody door before it starts raining again.. I've got Jimmy Walker with me."

Copycat has posed:
The door opens up after a slightly longer delay than normal. But it's not the person that Constantine expects. A woman with dark hair, and wearing a man's shirt, with bare legs emerging from beneath it swings the door open. "Well, I'm guessing from that greeting you're a friend of his," she says, comment more than question. "He's grabbing firewood out back," she says, "And said to let you in."

Vanessa Carlysle moves aside to let Constantine inside. There's a small fireplace with a fire going on it. The TV is on and there are a woman's clothes visible on the floor. "Come in, he'll be in in a second," she says, moving through the room, barefoot as well, and scooping up the clothes and carrying them into Michael's bedroom.

Michael comes in a few moments later, some cut wood carried in a strap of strong fabric with handles to make carrying it easier. "Constantine. Haven't seen you in forever," he says as he moves to set the wood down beside the fireplace.

Constantine has posed:
Constantine watches the woman like some kind of wild animal curious about an unknown in his hunting grounds.. After another drag from his Silk Cut cigarette, the filter is sent flying with a flick, and he steps through with a turn to pass by Vanessa. Chest pointed her way so he can look at her as he does, "You his kid? Didn't take him for the incestuous type..." Thinking before he speaks, clearly.

She's off to gather her clothing, Michael's returning with an arm load of firewood. "Mikey, my boy.." Holding out the unopened bottle towards him, "Crack the seal would ya? Introduce your piece of ass too."

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa Carlysle looks a bit too old to be his kid, though she gives a, "Thank you" as if taking it as a compliment before she disappeared into the bedroom. She just shakes her head and grins about the rest of the comment apparently.

Michael dusts his hand and moves over to take the bottle and look at it. "Oh, nice," he says of the bottle. The words cause him to glance towards the bedroom. "Also nice," he says with a bit of a grin. He heads over to the kitchen to get some glasses. "Vanessa, care to stay for a drink?" he calls.

The woman steps back out of the bedroom. She's wearing a short black skirt and a top that reveals a lot of skin on her fit figure. There's a jacket in hand which she hangs over the back of a chair. "The Jimmy Walker? I think I could handle that," she says.

Michael makes it three glasses, bringing them back before pouring. "Vanessa, this is Constantine. Old friend of mine. Tells the best stories," he says.

Constantine has posed:
"Welcome." John says to Vanessa with only a sideways glance in her direction as she disappears into the room to refit her professional garb. Far be it from him to sway a lady in wearing the vestments of daily living, right? Hate to see her go... love to watch her leave.

He's unbashfully lecherous in his stare of her ass.

Even while Michael is speaking to him.

He only looks back when the door closes, one hand up rubbing his stubbled jaw, "And do I'ave a story for you, mate... ran into a vampire of all things.. Saucy tart in skin-tight black plether... kind of girl you'd let suck your neck just to check it off your dance card, innit?"

Copycat has posed:
Mike lets out a chuckle. He knows it's real but yet he still can't help but react that way to hearing about vampires. He pours a glass, giving it to the lady first. Then one for Constantine, and finally for himself. "Oh, you didn't snap any pictures then did you? Or, do cameras even record them? Or was that just mirrors?" he asks.

Vanessa takes the glass and moves to sit down. One might expect she'd react to John's statements about vampires. But her reaction might not be what he expects. "English accent? Dark hair. Blue eyes?" she asks with a little curious cant of her head to the side.

Constantine has posed:
Constantine turns slightly at Venssa, taking a glass of Jimmy from Michael in the process, "Aye, you know her?" Asks as he sips at the stiff whiskey with an appreciative hiss. "Nothing in this world is so good as the first sip of whiskey, is it?" Shaking his head, rubbing the back of his neck up into the shaggy curls of blonde hair.

"Have to admit, I was a little infatuated.. but I suppose that's something to be expected, innit? Fuckin' vampires." This said to Mike, extending his glass for a salutation.

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa draws a deeper breath and lets it out. "Bumped into her, assuming it's the same person. Was in New York. She warned me away from someone who she said would have turned me into something else," Vanessa says a little quietly.

She takes a big drink from the whiskey, more of a needing a gulp of alcohol to deal with that memory, than going for the flavor.

Mike's a little more laid back about it, though he does eye Vanessa during her comment, seeming surprised. Rather than ask, he smiles to John at his comment about the whiskey. "Well, I can think of a few things I'd rate above it. But it has its merits." He rests a hand on Vanessa's shoulder with the first comment, drawing her thoughts from her past run-in, and earning Mike a smile as the touch seemed timed with his comment.

"I could see someone being infatuated though, yes," Vanessa agrees quietly.

Constantine has posed:
Constantine watches the pair, motioning back and forth with an outstretched finger in their direction, "Clearly there was some business model at work here, but is it strictly business? You one of those quality of life whores or something?" He's not even trying to be rude, he still is of course, but just conversational. Like he doesn't realize how he sounds, which he absolutely does and doesn't care.

"Not that I'm judging.. you want to make money cooking soup after sucking a fella pole, that's your decision, love.. Just trying to get to the potatos of this three course meal of conversation."

Copycat has posed:
Mike winces just a little bit at the first part, but then the latter is what really draws out the expression fully. Vanessa for her part casts her sloe-eyes up at John and lets out a soft, wry laugh. Michael answers first, "Come on John, no need to talk to the lady like that."

Vanessa shakes her head to Mike. "Thanks, but it's ok. Quality of life whore, I have some friends who will get a kick out of that," she says, not showing any sign of being bothered by the comment. Though there's also a bit of a seriousness in her gaze that suggests she isn't the type to roll over passively if the conversation continues in the same vein. "I'll have to leave it to Mike to say what his quality of life is-"

"Better," Mike interjects. "Known Vanessa for... five months now? Was summer, that heat wave?" he asks, getting a nod from Vanessa. "Be nice to her John. She has a long trip to get out here for me." He course he pays for it, but not like he's paying the other kind of rates.

Constantine has posed:
"I'm being nice..." John says with hands out as if he's entirely unsure what either of them mean! "A proper english gentleman, I am." He is not, he is also smirking so he knows he's not. "Besides, I brought booze." WHich he clearly thinks makes up for everything.

Still... with a scooping motion, he pushes bangs out of his face, and sucks down a bit more Walker with another gurggly hiss, "Alright, alright... listen, I was just taking the piss, love. I'm use to busting Mikey's balls, figure anyone who would diddle his pickle could handle it. If I offended... you should toughin the fuck up... but I'm still sorry for it, yeah?"

Hand out towards V. "No hard feelings?"

Copycat has posed:
Mike seemed more bothered than Vanessa. She just became a little more alert, as if to see if it was the start of a rag session on her, or just a few comments. "No offense taken, Constantine," she says. Mike tells her, "John's his first name. Just I like to make him feel more important. He has a self-confidence problem, you see," Mike says, taking his turn of taking the piss out of his guest.

Vanessa gives a slight grin. "So, why were you having a run in with the vampire, if you don't mind me asking?" she inquires. She takes another sip of the whiskey, and Mike touches up everyone's glass a little, helping lubricate the conversation.

Constantine has posed:
"Self confidence problem." John says quietly against the rim of his glass, "Says the bloke paying for company." That's a rag at Michael, it just happens to slap at Vanessa too. Some barbs cannot be properly aimmed, is all. He takes a drink, then lets the glass dangle down by his leg, lightly tapping it against his slacks.

"Eh.. I was out in Gotham followin' up on a case. Bunch of corpses stood up from the Morgue... figured there was magical nonsense involved." Hand out, shoulders up, "Ran into a slice of pale cake and struck up a conversation. Then we fought a dark entity and saved a child." All very conversational. Like this happens to him all the time.

"You know. That old tale."

Copycat has posed:
Mike gives a snort back to John. "Everyone pays, it's just a matter of the terms." Vanessa's head tilts a bit as she regards Constantine. "So you have an aversion to this kind of situation then, I gather?" she asks. Not as if that isn't something she would run into, be used to handling, on a regular basis.

Vanessa glances over towards Michael partway through Constantine's story. He gives her a nod as if to confirm it's all true. Or at least, he expects that it is. Though Vanessa likely already suspected that given the mention of the same vampire she'd run into previously. "Wow. So you're one of those people who goes and seeks out stuff like that?" Vanessa says with a little shiver.

Constantine has posed:
"Whores?" Constantine jumps right back into being an asshole so effortlessly it must be his default. ".. who has a problem with whores?" Furrowing his brow as if it's the most absurd thing he's ever heard... at least tonight. "I did a turn back in Braxton as a male whore... I was younger, it was the 90s.. I was in a punk band and that gig pays fuckall.." The glass is drained with an upwards tilt.

"Doesn't mean I wont give ya shit all the same, yeah? Tough skin is part of the gig, dove."

As for the rest, he doesn't care if people believe him. "Something like that. I usually wait for someone to pay me, but some cases are more important than magically whore'n myself out... I mean we're in the service industry, innit? Some of us sell quim, some of us sell incantations." He shrugs, "All about what drug you're peddling."

Copycat has posed:
Mike asks, "And so this was the non-paying variety then I guess. And did you take care of everything? Or do I need to worry about corpses driving in cars for an oil change?" The mechanic takes a sip of his whiskey and then moves over to the fireplace, pulling out a log and adding it to the fire.

Vanessa holds her glass in both hands as she listens to the men. She looks thoughtful for a moment, then takes a sip of the strong liquid. "So how do you handle something like that, anyway?" she asks curiously. Her eyes move down Constantine briefly, perhaps judging if he seems like the kind who... well, if he looks like a superhero. Probably.